Revelations of Origin
Unexpected Alliance The sound of flickering flame in a dark building. On a couch rested the figure of Iris Lavra, alive but unconcious, covered by a sheet. However, she was quickly stirring, and sat up, shoving the blanket off herself to look around. "Ahh...so good to see you're awake." Mr. E, having discarded his cloak now, stepped out of the shadows. "Welcome back to the World of the Living, Iris Lavra." Iris' ears perked up as she jumped; surprised to see this hat-and-clogs-man. "...Who is this? And why am I here?" Naturally, these were the first words that any sane person would speak in such a situation. "Oh, that's right." He nearly forgot, placing a hand to his chin. "You were dying the last time I had abandoned my cloak. I'm Mr. E. It's nice to finally meet you face-to-face, Iris." Iris didn't trust his words. Naturally, one could trust E as far as they could throw him. "...Oh." She remained wary of his actions; showing that despite her usual...Iris-ness, she was indeed very suspicious. "...Guess so. But what was the point of the cloak, anyway?" "What purpose did a cloak serve, Iris?" Mr. E waved this off. "It was for the obvious; to hide the identity of a man still fresh in the minds of the world, even after three decades." He sat down to stir a pot of stew that was cooking over the fire. "However, wouldn't a more fitting question be was to why I brought you here, not my particular choice of fashion?" Iris nodded. "True, true. You do raise a good point. But why on earth did you bring me here?" She was most curious- her eyes widened like a puppy's. "I'm going to help you." Mr. E replied simply, and he looked up at Iris, the shadow his hat cast over his eyes creating a strange contrast. "I will lend you my assistance in saving Vivian." Iris nodded excitedly like a kid in a candy store. "Ohboyohboyohboy! Why though?" It seemed that she was warming to E already. "Because..." Mr. E stood up, striding across the room towards Iris. He stopped speaking for a moment, looking down at Iris. It was almost as if Mr. E was actually chewing over the words he was about to say. "Vivian is my daughter." Iris' eyes just went blank. It was like Iris herself had just left the building, and nobody was inside that small brain of hers. "We don't have time for a reaction like this, Iris." Mr. E sighed, actually having expected as much. "I assume you have quite a few questions circling inside that head of yours..." As E was talking, Iris just plopped to the ground once more, fainting abruptly. The shock of such a reveal was too much to bear. Mr. E sighed, and decided to let her sleep until the information had time to settle. She had things to do when she woke up. ---- "I assume we're all prepared." Wendy punched her fist into her open palm. "Now! Let's go find Jason!" Erza declared, "To the tracking-mobile!" On one hand, she really wished Iris was with them; at least she could track Jason with no problem. But Wendy was there, so she could use her Dragon-Slayer nose to find Jason as well. "Now, blue, you know what to do!" It seemed that everyone was going to refer to Wendy as "blue" for a long time. "Stop calling me 'blue', red." Wendy snapped. "Wendy, can you even find the Guild Master?" Mamoko asked curiously. "I mean, you don't seem like a sensor-type at all." Wendy grinned. "Jason and I are just like that!" She pressed a hand to her stomach. "You see, I'm a clone as well. I was created through a machine and the use of Lacrima. My entire body is Lacrima-made-flesh. And Jason himself has a special Lacrima embedded in his body. When he found me, our Lacrima resonated, and we can find each other through this link." She started to stare off into space, her eyes glistening. She obviously loved being linked to Jason in this manner. Giselle raised her eyebrow, slightly interested now. "...Oho? Then, if you're a clone, who created you? You seem like the work of the council, I can tell by your attitude." That last part was complete and utter baloney. "I'm not the 'work' of anyone." Wendy seemed like she was going to snarl but thought better of it. "Though my 'father', I suppose that's the term, 'creator' sounds too artificial, was a strange man...I never learned his name, but I remember he had leopard spots on his skin, and glasses. Jason killed him though. The last I remember was his head rolling." Giselle paused momentarily. "Oh. I see. Well, that sounds like some jerkoff I once knew. Friggin' pathetic he was. Anyway, I'm sure that you don't like talking about it. I ain't gonna go prying into any more details since that's a cross for you to bear, and having known each other for like an hour, I ain't gonna support you in holding it up." "I'm not sure if I should say thanks or not." Wendy looked at Giselle with something resembling confusion. She shrugged it off, and closed her eyes for a moment. "Just give me a second..." Focusing, she saw nothing but darkness and let her senses focus on it to give it shape, and, as it felt like she was freeing herself, searched across the land to find the lacrima so familiar to her. It didn't take long. "I've gotten it!" Erza herself was still amazed by the fact that in one hour only they had travelled back in time as well as obtained two new allies. It was a new record. Great success; so to speak. "...So, you're actually useful? Well, colour me surprised." Giselle was the one to smack Erza in the back of the head this time. "Don't be rude to life which is created. They were conceptualized to be a super-race; and you should damn well respect that." At this time, she sounded like a supremacist. Wendy smiled, if only a bit. "Thank you, Giselle." She turned her head towards the east. "Alright everyone, follow me! I'll be able to lead us right to Jason!" With that, she started running, and everyone decided it was best to simply follow suit. Giselle only nodded as if acknowledging Wendy's thanks. She nudged Tsuruko slightly. "You know, since I'm leaving you to do your own thing, maybe you should make some friends here? The original you was really good at making friends...somehow. I have no idea how she did what she did with such crippling shiness." Tsuruko nodded. "Y-Yeah." But...she didn't know where to start first. "Tsuruko!" Wendy turned back to Tsuruko, looking at her as she led the group. "Why don't you come up here with me?" It seemed Wendy wasn't done trying to make an impression on Tsuruko yet. She wondered if Chelia would be jealous. Tsuruko looked at her in a questioning manner. "E-Eh?" She blinked twice, heading over to Wendy. "W-What do you want me for? D-Do you think I'm useful?" Meanwhile, Chelia's eyes sharpened in anger, though she said nothing about it. "It's not a matter of being useful." Wendy smiled. "We're alike, you, I, and Chelia." Wendy jerked her head towards her best friend as if saying "Get up here", before turning her eyes back to Tsuruko. "So, I'll cut to my point. As long as you're with us, I will be your friend." Tsuruko's eyes shone brightly like stars in the night sky. Especially ironic, considering what she was compared to most of the time. She extended her hand- before she enthusiastically shook Wendy's hand with a reverse hand grip, with Tsuruko tapping Wendy's fist on the top; waiting for her to do the same. Chelia caught up, still glaring at Tsuruko. "She's right to an extent." Her expression literally said what she was thinking- "take Wendy away from me and I'll cut you up like a hamburger". Wendy smiled, enthusiastically returning the same hand movements and ending the motion with the fistbump. "Does this make us friends, Tsuruko?" Tsuruko nodded; she herself seemed particularly quiet, especially when compared to her original gene source. She preferred to stay in the back of any groups. She smiled lightly, responding with a quiet, "Y-Yes." "What about with Chelia?" Wendy looked at her curiously. "She's just like us as well, and she's one of the sweetest people you can meet when you get to be her friend. Not that she'll admit it..." She added the last part slyly. Tsuruko confirmed this again. "Y-Yes. She's my friend too. You are all my friends." She did believe that right now, she experienced a feeling very similar to her original. The warm rays of friendship shone down upon her; this did make her smile gently, like a diamond in the rough. "Then you can consider me your Onē-chan, alright?" Wendy grinned. "Come to me if you need anything." Tsuruko nodded. "O-Of course." She was naturally excited beyond all belief at making new friends- though, due to her origins, this version of Tsuruko Sejren was actually shier than the original. She made a determined gesture, affirming, "I'll do so!" Wendy squealed, hugging the girl into her large breasts once more. "You are just so cute, Tsuruko!" Giselle was tempted to pull Wendy away from her goldfish. She barely restrained herself; despite her views of not wanting two people to exist at the same time, she actually kinda wanted to keep Tsuruko for herself now. "Just be careful they don't trick you into anything. You're as dumb as a stump, we all know that." "Eh?" Tsuruko didn't know what Giselle was talking about. Her words- and face, were muffled by marshmallows. Escalation "Iris, wake up." Mr. E snapped his fingers, sending a small jolt of energy throughout the squirrel demon's body. Iris leapt up in surprise- she recieved said electroic shock; all of her hairs- especially her big bushy tail stood on end as she made a five-meter distance between her previous position and her spot of landing. "Wah! ...Where am I now? And why does my fur smell singed..." Everything was just so confusing to her tiny mind. "I had told you, Vivian is my daughter." Mr. E sat down in the nearest armchair. "You then decided it was the most opportune moment to collapse." Iris almost fainted once more; but she managed to stop herself. "....OHHHH! That makes a lot of sense. Since her past...yeah! And Crux was!" Everything was piecing together in her mind. "You don't understand a thing." Mr. E, however, was not to be bothered explaining. "Just remember that, and trust me when I say I have my own interests in saving the girl. The only reason she remains in the hands of the Shadow Remnants was the constraint of time." Iris nodded, slowly taking all of this information in. Though she was still confused, she did manage to understand bits and pieces as she broke it down into a more idiot-worthy form. "Uh-huh. So when can we save her then?" Mr. E waves his hand, forming two rings out of thin air. "I've been constructing these rings. Two of them. This one..." He held up a silver ring. "...is to be given to Jason. It's an enhancement, and I am sure he'll find it useful." He showed her the other ring. "This one is to free Vivian. Any of your guild can utilise it, however, I'll give it you as I believe you will have the best chance of getting it to work." He was well aware this girl planned to go head-to-head with Kagemusha. Iris took both rings in her grubby little paws. "Oh, thanks! But how will it free Vivian?" The questions kept coming at a rapid-fire pace. "The ring is meant to emit a beam which removes the effects of the Huma Raise with no harm to Vivian herself." Mr. E replied, though it sounded like he was glossing over something. "It will synch with you when you use it, and utilise your own energy to free Vivian. It is a one-use item however, so do not miss." Iris was frankly a terrible shot. She was as bad as a Rune Knight in the matter of firearms. She couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with the biggest cannon ever made. "...Maybe I should give this to Momoko. She's a crack shot." She suddenly retracted her words. "...I wanna save Viv so I'll do it!" "Very good." Mr. E placed a hand on his head, pushing his hat down to obscure his eyes. "I have one more ring..." He waved his hands, summoning another ring to his hand. "I refer to it as the ESP ring, and this is solely for you. It shall grant you several telepathic abilities." Iris' eyes blinked as she eyed the ring like a magpie. It was rather shiny; glowing brilliantly to her. "....Oooh." It seemed that Iris Lavra had zoned out and entered a different dimension. "...I like it!" ---- Alaskiel was sitting at the Akatsuki bar, arm around the shoulder of Rea Safaia, who was leaning into his chest, eyes closed, She seemed to be either resting or simply enjoying herself. Molly cast him a bit of a look from behind the counter. "What's wrong, Alaskiel? You look preoccupied." When Alaskiel spoke, he had completely lacked the joking tone that made him easy to get along with. In fact, his voice was now crisp and serious. "Gaikou....I'm getting a bad feeling about her." "What? Regretting hooking up with Rea?" Molly pried, leaning over the counter, smiling coyly. Alaskiel was actually taken aback. "No, that's not it at all." He drew Rea closer, his squinted eyes turning to her for a moment. "Like I'd ever regret this..." He sighed, and reached for his cup. CRACK! As he reached for it, a giant crack erupted down the middle, spilling the liquid inside. "That's odd..." Molly took the glass away, deciding to get Alaskiel a new one. However, when she turned around, he and Rea were gone. "...What the? I'm so confused..." "Oi, hot stuff! Another round of drinks for the boys!" Jonas called out from the far end of the bar. Molly's eye twitched. "Jonas, we've told you to watch that! You don't want Ulalia on your case..." Jonas gulped and the entire bar roared with laughter. ---- "Are we nearly there!?" Tyrone called over to Wendy. "We're not making any pace at all kid!" Chelia sighed in a sing-song voice, "It seems that the speed we travel at all depends on where we're going, I noticed. So be quiet and put more strength into your legs." Well, Chelia Blendy wasn't the one who noticed this, but Momoko did. She had just picked up a few habits from the Water Dragon Slayer. "I'm curious, Tsuruko." Wendy was still smiling very brightly at the girl. "How much do you...remember...about the life of that other Tsuruko? You responded when I mentioned Hikari, which means you must have some memories from the other one. Must be nice..." She trailed off. Giselle crudely interrupted, "The other Tsuruko is the first Tsuruko, and she's living a peaceful life together with the boy she always loved somewhere. So I'd say that this Tsuruko is the one who's gonna fight for you." She poked Tsuruko in the head a few times. "You see, there's a brain, and a spider's egg sac in there." Tsuruko growled in a low, yet adorable tone. "I'm not an idiot." "I'm not saying you're an idiot, I'm saying you're rather dim." Giselle snarked back. "I have a lot of memories. Some of them were really amazing, like how the original Tsuruko punched out an omnipotent being and then befriended her. But I'd rather not go into detail." Tsuruko answered Wendy. "I don't care about that other one." Wendy told Giselle airily. "My attention is focused on Tsuruko here, the one I have a common factor with." She grinned for a moment. Perhaps, after they caught up with Jason, she'd see if Tsuruko could join their guild. "It's better than leaving her with Giselle...." Wendy murmured as low as she could. Giselle suddenly felt the urge to suddenly slap Wendy; she had super-sensitive hearing, after all. "Hey, when you compare ME to the rest of those bastards I'm a bloody saint." Or she was just tsundere towards the replication of Tsuruko Sejren. "I'm just voicing my opinion." Wendy replied smugly. Fall Into The Black "I think we're nearly there." Jason noted as they continued made their way to what appeared to be the highest floor in the building. "I really hope Iris is alright..." "We can worry about her later!" Mary snapped. "The furball is always fine, you know that." "I wish she would have let me take on that boy..." Olivia sounded a bit dejected. "Ara...to miss the chance to spill such blood..." BLURP... The slow-moving sound of thick liquid stopped them in their tracks as Jason saw what appeared to be a black puddle, which began to rise up sluggishly, taking shape. Jason cast it a wary look. "Someone using liquid like this as a gateway...?" The liquid then took the shape of a human, molding into Alaskiel and Rea as they were fully transported from the Guild. "Looks like we made it in time." Alaskiel sighed. "Rea, you alright?" Rea held her head. "Y-Yeah!" She was surprised at why she of all people was drawn to be near the main members of the guild. Of course she and Alaskiel were an item and that could be a reason. In any case, she didn't question it. "Oh, Alaskiel and Rea." Jason looked at this surprised. "What are you doing?" Alaskiel cast a gazed at the girl sleeping on Jason's back. "I would ask you the same question, but now's not the time. I'm simply here to help you save Gaikou." "To help...oh." Jason immediately caught on, and Alaskiel nodded. "So, how close to the destination are you?" "If I had to guess...probably one more flight." Jason looked up at the next set of stairs. "Rea, are you able to handle this?" Jason inquired. "Was your own seven years of training effective?" Rea nodded in comfirmation. At the very least she had learned a few new tricks in regards to her Take Over. "I think so. I'll do my best." "Well said!" The group continued to climb the stairs and were quickly confronted by a door. Jason cast it a look. 'A door....simply door? This person must be awfully sure of themselves..." Rea was very, very wary of this situation. She'd been in it before- every single time, it ended up in a massive jump scare and pants were crapped nine times out of ten. "....Okay, somebody open it. Be wary. It could be like one of those slasher flicks..." SLASH! Mary cut the door in two, watching as the halves fell down. "Then you simply cut whatever is behind the door before you open it." Jason wasn't sure whether or not he agreed with her approach, however, the group stepped into the room, which, unsurprisingly, was too dark to properly see. "Everyone, be on your guard." Jason whispered. Pitch-blackness. The room was naught but cast into the darkness, providing absolutely no way of sight. Rea's golden eyes, although illustrious; provided very little assistance in seeing through the night. Tap. The sound of a foot hitting the floorboards could be heard- and for one, it wasn't any of them. The pitter patter of footsteps coming closer and closer as a chaotic laughter could be heard. The voice was low; it sounded like a curse. A faint outline of a body could be seen- as more darkness, stained with crimson was emitted from it. Even the light had vanished. The buildings that were there before vanished as if they were just a hallucination, and everything except the group turned into darkness; covered by the astral plains. In the territory that turned into darkness, a weird humanoid manifested; approaching the group. It turned its head in a weird direction and began shortening its distance from them by dragging its legs and rotating its shoulders. Its eyes were red. Very red eyes that were blazing. "W-where are we?!" Mary looked around, for once, her cold, uncaring attitude that she had shown since returning was broken. She was genuinely confused, and, if possible, a little apprehensive. "...Oh this is a classic..." Jason looked around. While the darkness persisted, his eyes were quickly adjusting. "Stay calm everyone...it's a simple dimensional transfer. We've been transferred to something known as Astral Plane." "Simple?" Alaskiel repeated. "This has to be one of the best I've seen in years." Jason was inclined to ask Alaskiel how he could see anything with his eyes as they were, but he refrained. "Memorise it, Alaskiel." He walked over to Olivia, and handed Mina to her. "Olivia, watch the child." "Um...sure..." Olivia took Mina into her arms, cradling the sleeping girl. "Master...you may have noticed...?" She pointed in the direction of the strange creature. Jason craned his head in the direction. "Yeah. This is that creature's domain." He slowly walked closer to it, stopping when he was able to look up at the strange humanoid creature. "Truly a spectacle." His eyes had since adjusted to the darkness, however, the glowing red-eyes of this creature gave it away with ease. The demon let out a mighty roar; creating a shattering echo that reverberated throughout the area. Slowly, the beast stood up on it's hind legs.... "...What's it doing?" Rea looked absolutely surprised; normally a regular shadow beast wouldn't be able to show such actions. ...And it took on the stance of a boxer. "...Wait, it can think?" Jason was a bit surprised. "I didn't expect a consciousness at all." "Need a hand?" Mary called out to him, but Jason waved her off. "Not at all, stay back." He beckoned the beast to come closer. "Come on. Show me if you've got some fight in you." The beast let out a loud shriek, cocking its fist back while charging energy- focusing intently upon Jason, at least it would provide a distraction to stop the orange-haired menace from succeeding in his futile plans. WHAM! Suddenly, the beast's fist shot forward like a bullet, headed towards Jason's face. Jason raised his hand, effortlessly catching the demon's fist, the entire force of the blow being dispersed upon contact; he wasn't even forced back. Jason cast it aside, before dashing forward, closing the distance between him and the beast within half a second, his hand extended towards it's forward, thumb under index finger. "Sorry....but we can't waste time on the likes of you." He proceeded to flick his index finger towards the beast as high-speed, creating a blast of compressed air similar in shape to his finger, which pierced the creature's forehead. After a second, it exploded, creating a deluge of blood. Mary watched this, taken aback. She had offered to help...and destroyed this thing without even forming a weapon. "You...you should have let me help. I'd have created less of a mess you know." Jason looked at her for a moment, and smiled. "There wasn't any need, Mary. Besides, even I will get rusty if all I ever do is watch." "Bullshit..." Mary thought. Rusty was the one thing this man could never be. The entire dimension proceeded to shatter upon the destruction of the creature, sending everyone back to the room they had been so unceremoniously taken from. Rea was absolutely amazed at Jason. He had such power. And he was so young too. "...Well, that was fast." Countless numbers of red eyes appeared in the room, and they created a mysterious glow. The faint tracings of the humanoid figure took tangible form as it started to walk towards the group—it had the presence and movements of a creature that didn't exist in the real world; no matter what they did, it wouldn't stop the advancement as the darkness was manifested further, taking the form of a young woman with long bright pink hair with bangs that covered her left eye and yellow eyes. "Wahahahahahahahahaha! Welcome to the Magic Council, pitiful worms!" That certainly was Alexis. END